Fifth-wheel for vehicles



(No Model.)

J. W. WILLIAMS & J. G. CAPES.

l FIFTH WHEEL EUR VEHICLES.

No. 424,397. Patented-Mar. 25, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN WV. VILLIAMS AND JOHN G. CAPPS, OF LONELL, ARKANSAS.

FIFTH-WHEEL FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,397, dated March 25, 1890.

Application filed November 16 1889- Serial No. 330,602. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN WV. WILLIAMS and JOHN G. GAPPS, citizens of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Benton and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Fifth-Wheel for Vehicles, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to improvments in the fifth-wheels of vehicles, and among the objects in view are to so connect the fifthwheel and front axle as to avoid imparting the oscillatory motion of the axle, as caused by the wheels passing` into ruts and over obstructions, to the body of the vehicle.

Numerous other objects and advantages of our invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a fifth-wheel constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. i is a detail of the axle-supporting plate.

Like niimerals indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

l represents the reach of a vehicle, to the under surface of which there is secured the shank 2 of the upper section or disk 3 of the fifth-wheel.

4 represents the usual sand bar or bolster, upon which is mounted the spring 5, and through the spring, bolster, and section 3 of the fifth-wheel there is passed a vertical bolt 6, the ends of which project above the spring and below the section or disk.

7 represents a spring-arm, the rear end of which is bolted to the upper surface of the reach, and the forward end of which is provided with an opening 8 to receive the upper end of the bolt 6, which upper end is perforated, as at 9, and through the same is inserted a linchpin.

11 represents the opposite or lower sectionor disk of the fth-wheel, which is centrally perforated, as at 12, to receive the lower end of the vertical bolt 6, with which it is rigid. The lower surface of the section 11 is provided with a pair of transverse parallel lugs 13, in the rear pair of which there are bolted the upper ends of a bifurcated L-shaped standard 15, thelower or L portion 16 extend- C ing forwardly and supporting a bifurcated standard 17, the upper ends of the bifurcations of which are bolted, as at'18, to the opposite pair of lugs. The standards 15 and 17 are each provided with bearings 19 near their lower ends, and mounted pivotally in the same is a clip-plate 20, provided at its opposite ends with lugs 22, taking into the openings.

21 represents the front axle, which is mounted upon the clip-plate 2O and between the bifurcated standards 15 and 17, and encircling the upper surface of the axle and having its ends secured to the clip-plate 2O is a clip 23 of inverted-U shape.

24 represents a reach-iron, the rear or shank end of which is bolted, as at 25, to the under surface of the reach 1, beyond which the iron is inclined downwardly and terminates in a bearing-foot 26, having an opening 27, through which is passed a depending stud 28,project ing from the under surface of the L-shaped portion 16 of the standard. The stud projects beyond the bearing-foot and is there perforated, as at 29, and through the perforation is inserted a linchpin 30.

From the above description it will be ob vious that the coupling vconnecting the reach and front Vaxle may be easily disconnected, or that the several parts constituting the same may be as easily assembled. It will also be apparent that the oscillations of the axle, as caused by the wheel passing over obstructions into gullies, trc., in the road, willv not in any way be transferred to the body of the vehicle, but that the body will maintain a perfectly vertical position while the obstructions mentioned are being passed over.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is The combination, with the reach, and the bolster 1l, secured to the end thereof, of the shank 2, bolted to the reach, the upper section 3 of the fifth-wheel centrally perforated and integral with the reach, the lower section 11, having the diametrically-opposite pairs of perforated depending lugs 13, the pivot-bolt 6, passed through the sections, secured at its upper end, the L-shaped standard 15, and the opposite connectingstandard 17, each having the upper ends bifurcated and bolted to the lugs, and below said bifurcations provided with oppositabearing perforations, the oscil- IOO lating clip 20, having opposite trunnions mounted in the bearings, and the axle 21, clipped thereupon, the inclined brace bolted at its rear end t-o the shank and reach land terminating at its front end in a perforation, and :L stud depending from the L-shaped standard andpassing through the perforations, substantially as specified.

In testi1non57 that we Claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto afxed our signatures I a in presence of two Witnesses.

JOI-1N W. WILLIAMS. JOHN G. CAPPS. Witnesses:

H. L. WARBRITTON, JOHN F. ARCHER. 

